


a simple touch and it can set you free

by thebeehive



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dystopia, Boats and Ships, First Time, Fishing, M/M, OT5 Friendship (One Direction), sexual awakening, taking pills
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-18
Updated: 2020-05-05
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:22:32
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 19,629
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23722309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thebeehive/pseuds/thebeehive
Summary: One dark and stormy day, Liam is caught in a nor’easter out on the bay in his little fishing boat.Reeling in the fishing nets, he finds an unconscious man tangled in the ropes.When the man wakes up, nothing in Liam’s life will ever be the same.(Or, a post - apocalyptic erotic awakening. Of sorts.)
Relationships: Zayn Malik/Liam Payne
Comments: 30
Kudos: 42





	1. Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> Title from The Weeknd - I Feel it Coming ft. Daft Punk
> 
> I was in a weird mood when I wrote this, (probably due to current world events and being in quarantine/stay at home/shelter in place/etc, etc) let me know your thoughts.

“To starboard!” Niall yelled, voice muffled by the whipping wind. “Starboard!”

Liam groaned, pushing his oar as hard as he could against the water.

Normally serene and smooth, with gentle, lapping waves in the large bay their fishing boat traversed daily, now the water was choppy and rough, thick with brine and foam and fighting Liam and their small wooden boat every step of the way. 

He dug in harder, his long oar useless against the water coming in high and hitting against the side of the boat with a loud, wet smacking noise every time contact was made.

“Harry!” Liam yelled as loud as he could, over the wind and waves.

“I know, I know - the nets!”

Liam craned his head to the side, squinting through the deluge of a downpour to catch a glimpse of Harry, soaked and frantic, trying to reel in the fishing nets. 

“Stuck - they’re stuck!” 

Liam swore under his breath. “Niall, c’mere!”

Niall turned from the steering wheel - he shoved the nearby wooden block under the wheel so the rudder wouldn’t be at the mercy of the waves and hurried over.  
Liam shoved the oar handle in Niall’s hands without a word - years of working on the fishing boat together meant he and his friends could revert back to a primitive, physical understanding of communication with each other on the boat.

He hurried to assist Harry with pulling the nets in - rope was precious and they couldn’t afford to wait until their yearly delivery; losing the nets meant losing a large portion of the fish that helped feed their village. 

He stumbled over to port side, unable to keep his sea legs when the waves rocked the boat this hard; he squinted, feeling the sting of salt water in his eyes, and grabbed the side of the boat to steady himself. 

Harry had pulled in over half the nets, but was struggling to pull the rest in. 

“What is it?” Liam yelled, as he leaned, hands slipping on the wet ropes. He pulled up as hard as he could, but the nets didn’t come up. 

“I don’t know!” Harry looked frustrated - him and Liam were two of the strongest men in the village, the nets weighed nothing to them. 

Lam peered down into the dark water - the nets spilled over the side of the boat and were submerged in water, but something had to be stuck - the big fish didn’t usually come into the bay, but it wasn’t unheard of. But if he and Harry together couldn’t pull up the nets the creature must be huge.

Liam looked again - the shadows of the boat and stormy waves played tricks with his eyes, it looked like something long, black and sleek was stuck in the net - a seal perhaps? Liam had never seen a seal stuck in a net, they were too intelligent for that, but maybe the poor thing had recently died.

He turned to Harry and pointed down into the water. “Secure the nets.”

Harry blinked furiously against the rain and shook his head. “Liam, no!” 

Liam ignored him and hoisted himself over the side of the boat, using the net to help clamber down, while above him he heard Harry yell “Liam you idiot” but it looked like he was securing the nets to the cleats, so he kept going into the water.

He sucked in a breath when he hit the water, normally cold year round, but as they headed into winter and with the storm blocking out the warm sunshine, it felt positively freezing. He forced himself all the way in until it was up to his waist; he tightened his grip on the wet netting, and then, hand over hand, pulled himself along the side of the boat and closer to the sleek, dark object caught in the ropes. 

He was almost there when a big swell of water tilted the boat high into the air, listing it to the starboard side, before bringing it crashing back down, dunking Liam completely underwater. He held on to the netting for dear life and hoped the boat would right itself before he ran out of breath. He could feel the strain in his lungs before he came back to the surface, pulled up by the boat and his hold on the nets. He took great heaving gasps of air, and looked up to see Harry, precariously leaning over the side, looking more than a little relieved to see him.

Harry was shouting and gesturing for Liam to come back up - but he felt something bump against his legs and he held up a finger to Harry. 

He looked down - the body wasn’t a seal it looked like - a person, wrapped in a strange, sleek covering while their head and shoulders were still underwater. Liam grimaced, there was no way the person could still be alive, not with the limp figure half in the water; he grabbed onto their waist and lifted up, but encountered resistance; their right arm was tangled in the nets. He put them back down and reached forward, pulling their arm free of the net and then wrapping his arm back around the narrow waist- but another wave hit the side of the boat, and he went under. This time he was ready, though, and had taken a large breath before plunging back into the water. 

The next time he came up he wasted no time; fighting the water, he tried to lift the body - Harry, still hanging over the boat’s side and yelling words Liam couldn’t catch, saw what he was doing, and leaned down, arms outstretched.

Liam almost dropped the body in shock when the head cleared the water - a large, clear dome was fixed over the figure's head and attached to the black outfit they wore, and strapped to their back was a silver tank. The figure was slim, but their strange dress and the tank made them heavier than they appeared and Liam struggled to hoist the body up, unable to climb with only one hand clutching the nets.

Finally, Harry was able to maintain leverage and grab a hold of the body, lifting it up over the side of the boat and stumbling back under the weight. Liam hastily climbed back up the side using the netting, ignoring the shaking in his arms from adrenaline and strain and cold. 

The rain continued to pelt down, and the angry waves kept pounding the boat; the entire atmosphere was soaking wet and cold and grey.

Harry had removed the silver tank from person’s back and put the body under the small roof in the middle of the hull, in between the baskets that were tied down - the baskets were empty, as the unexpected storm had rolled in so quickly it had thwarted their fishing - and was pulling the rest of the nets into the boat.

Liam didn’t have time to catch his breath, he hurried over to where Niall was fighting a losing battle with the oar. He took the oar back from Niall, who stumbled to the wheel, taking back control. 

Harry came over to join Liam after the nets were secured in the boat, taking up the second oar, and they battled the water, salty spray hampering their progress, as they tried to turn the boat around for the short, but perilous trip back to shore. Liam was burning with curiosity about the body in the odd get up, but first, he had to focus on survival. The body could wait. 

By the time they docked, Liam was exhausted. The rain had let up, it was a light drizzle instead of the furious, pounding drops of the storm, and the wind had calmed down. The water in the bay was still rough and choppy, but the angry swells had subsided, and they were able to dock with relative ease. 

Niall secured the boat and then helped Harry carry the empty baskets ashore. Liam carefully hoisted the body from the deck, cradling the figure in his arms - he felt the sleek, form fitting material the figure was encased in - it reminded him so much of sealskin, no wonder he thought it was a seal caught in the net. He looked down at the silver tank resting on the deck - he decided to leave it for now - if the person needed it they could come back and grab it. 

The suit ended at the figure’s wrists, and Liam looked at their hands. They were finely boned, but strong, with long graceful fingers. He reached down, and felt for a pulse. He wasn’t sure why - no one could have survived being in the water like that, and yet something made him grab the wrist and press his fingers down gently, looking at the sharp angle of the thumb. And there it was, faint, very faint, but a pulse. Blood thrummed under the skin, Liam could feel it, and somehow the person was alive.

He walked down the path from the bay toward their house, walking as quickly as he could, and was met at the door by Louis.

“Oh thank goodness, that storm came out of nowhere and I was so worried - and Niall and Harry said some shite about a body-” Louis stopped talking when he saw what Liam carried in his arms.

Liam stepped inside the house and Louis stepped out of the way - he paused for a minute, unsure, and then headed to his room. Each stone house in their row was the same: a small foyer led to a hallway which split the house into two wings: the east wing was four small bedrooms and a bathroom, and the west wing had a kitchen with a wood-burning stove, a sitting room with a large fireplace, and a back room where the boys salted and stored their fish. Harry and Niall were probably drying and putting away the baskets. 

He didn’t want to set the person down on the couch in front of the fire; he had a vague notion his bedroom offered more privacy, but he wasn’t sure why it mattered. 

His bedroom was tiny - there was a bed, a dresser with a kerosine lamp on top, a chair in the corner, and that was it. He gently placed the figure in the chair, holding them up so they wouldn’t keel over.

Louis stood in the doorway, silent and eyes wide. 

“They were caught in the nets so we pulled them out of the water.” Liam explained, although Niall and Harry had likely filled him in. “Help me with this headpiece? I’m not sure how they can still take in air like this. But I felt the pulse - by some twist they’re still alive. Barely, but there” 

Louis came over and grasped the head piece, turning it slightly side to side. “It looks like it’s attached here..” he murmured, and then was quiet while he felt around the neck area. “Aha - here we go.” 

Another minute, and with a clicking noise, he released and pulled up the headpiece, revealing a man with dark hair and a beard, eyes closed shut. 

Liam looked at Louis, who placed the headpiece on the dresser. “He’s your catch of the day mate - where’re you gonna put him?”

“He’s not an ornament or a lamp. I dunno. He can sleep in my bed.”

“Where’re you gonna sleep?”

Liam thought for a minute. “I’ll bring one of the couches in here and sleep on it.”

Louis sighed. “Why’re you making this difficult - why not you just sleep on the couch? Or, better yet, put him on the couch?”

Liam shrugged. “Dunno. Don’t want him waking up alone in case he freaks out. Doesn’t know where he is, it’d be better to have someone with him. But I want him to have some privacy, too.”

“Awful considerate of you.”

Liam rolled his eyes. “I try.”

“Yeah, yeah, you always do.” Louis paused. “You realize this will have to be disclosed? Nothing like this has ever happened before.”

“I know. But first, let’s make sure he wakes up.” 

“Alright. You’re in charge of him then, I see how it is. Where did he come from, you think?”

It was all Liam had wondered since he’d first pulled the man from the water. Outside of their small settlement and the yearly delivery, there was no other people or civilization around for miles and miles. Where did this strange man come from? It was almost like he had fallen from the sky, borne aloft on the frigid northern winds of the storm only to be dropped into the ocean and caught in their fishing net. 

“No idea. No idea at all..”

“I’m going to finish dinner, yeah?”

Liam nodded absently. “Alright.” 

When Louis left the room Liam decided to place the man on his bed and rid him of the tight clothing. It took longer than he thought - the entire outfit was one piece, with a zipper down the back, and he tried to move him as carefully as he could while he pulled the suit off of his shoulders and off his arms. Liam was surprised to see intricate drawings across his chest, arms, and back. He hesitated, then reached out to run his fingers along a bird at the top of the man’s back - the drawing felt like it was part of his skin. Liam was intrigued - a moment later he felt embarrassed; the man had nothing on underneath the skin tight suit. 

Liam had occasionally seen his house mates in varying stages of undress coming out of the bathroom, but they all had separate bedrooms and nudity of any type was discouraged in the settlement. He couldn’t help but notice the drawings extended down his legs - he tried to give the man a quick once over to make sure he hadn’t sustained any injuries from his time in the water; he couldn’t find any visible marks, other than the drawings, and none of his bones felt broken. He tried to be quick when he ran his fingers over the man’s stomach, below his navel and over his hip bones - the hair on his groin was dark and Liam wondered why he felt nervous. It was just a perfunctory injury check.

He ran his fingers over the man’s scalp last, checking for any head injuries or bumps - his dark hair was slightly damp and soft to the touch, as was his beard. His eyelashes were thick and long, and Liam wondered what color his eyes were. 

He stood up and pulled out a pair of sleep pants and a soft shirt from the dresser, trying not to stare at the naked man laid out on his bed, and dressed him. The entire process would have been much quicker with one of the other lad’s help, and Liam could have left to go fetch one of them for assistance at any time, but part of him felt protective over the stranger; he didn’t want anyone else to see them in a such a naked and vulnerable state, and he was still worried the man would wake up at any second. For some reason he couldn’t stand the thought of the man waking up alone.


	2. Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts? Fears? Concerns? lol let me know.

Liam awoke to Louis shaking his shoulder.

“Whaaat,” he mumbled. 

He stretched and winced, feeling the tightness in his neck and shoulders. He had fallen asleep in the chair in the corner of his room. His clothes were stiff from dried salt water and all he wanted to do was take a shower. His stomach rumbled. And eat - what time was it, he wondered.

“You fell asleep mate, been out a couple hours, slept right through dinner. Thought maybe you’d want to eat.” Louis put a bowl of stew in Liam’s hands and nodded his head towards Liam’s bed. “Your catch of the day is awake. Meet Zayn.”

Liam blinked furiously, trying to wake up. He hadn’t wanted the man to wake up alone and he had slept right through it - he focused on his bed.

The strange man was sitting up in bed, wearing Liam’s clothes, and eating his own bowl of stew. He looked up and Liam tried not to stare - so that’s what his eyes looked like, he thought - large and dark and assessing, framed by those long lashes. The sharp angles of his face were thrown into relief by the light from the kerosine lamp that someone had lit. Liam found himself studying the details of his face, the cut of his jaw, how his ears stuck out the tiniest bit, and how his thick eyebrows perfectly framed his wide eyes. 

Zayn swallowed his spoonful, and then said, “Hi. Thanks for pulling me out of the water.” 

His accent was thick and unfamiliar, and once again Liam wondered where he came from. 

“Erm. No bother, happy to help.” Liam felt like an idiot but he’d never been in a situation like this before. His entire life was his housemates and the rest of the settlement - the same 100 people he’d known for twelve years. He wasn’t used to being around new people. And he didn't want to tell Zayn he was rescued because the rope used to make the netting was so valuable. “How’re you feeling?” 

Louis shoved a spoon into his hand; Liam forgot he had been holding the warm stew bowl, and he began to eat, without taking his eyes off of Zayn. 

“Better, thanks. I think I passed out from exhaustion. The last thing I remember was trying to fight against the waves, but they were too strong. I woke up for a moment and I remember being on a boat. But then I closed my eyes, and the next thing I knew I woke up here.” Zayn took another bite of stew and looked around the room. 

“Liam, finally woke up cause you missed the excitement?” Niall laughed from the doorway, Harry right besides him. 

“Did you introduce yourself to our new house guest, Zayn?” Harry smiled, turning to Zayn. “He doesn’t usually sleep through visitors, our apologies.”

Liam rolled his eyes, trying not to shovel down his stew too fast but he was starving and it had been a long day. Only now he felt alert and wide-awake at the presence of a stranger in their midst.

Liam saw Zayn look up from his stew, taking in the four lads staring at him.

“Uhm. You lot don't get a lot of, like, visitors around here, do you?” 

“We don’t get ANY visitor around here, mate.” Louis' voice was friendly, but Liam could tell by how his eyes were narrowing that he was on alert. “What brings you to our settlement? How’d you end up in the middle of the bay? And what’s with that weird tank and thing on your head?” 

Liam tried not to wince - he knew Louis would get right to the point, but he wanted Zayn to have a chance to eat and rest from his ordeal before an interrogation took place. 

But Zayn’s brows furrowed, and he looked pained. “Mate, I told you I dunno. I remember waking up on the boat for a second, and then waking up here. Before that, I can’t remember anything. I don't know…” He trailed off, then looked over at the dresser that held his head piece. “Don't even know if my name is really Zayn, you know.” 

Liam stopped eating. “What do you mean - you can’t remember your own name?”

“I can't remember anything, like I said. Or, I can't remember anything that happened before I woke up. The name was in the suit - I think it’s called a wet suit, what I was wearing.” Zayn gestured with his spoon to the sleek suit that was hanging from the knobs of the top drawer on the dresser. “I think it helps me in the water. When I woke up I didn’t know my name or where I was - so Louis here looked at my stuff to see if he could find anything. It’s sewn in the back, so we’re guessing it’s my name.”

Louis spoke up. “Good a guess as any - could be your friend's suit for all we know. Or you stole it?” 

Zayn shrugged, and took one last bit of stew before setting his bowl aside. “Thank you, that was good. I dunno. No clue. I don’t know if I hit my head or summit and that’s why I can’t remember -”

“I felt your head for bumps, didn’t feel none,” Liam interrupted. “I mean, you could have hit your head, but didn’t feel like it.”

“Did you feel the rest of me for bumps and bruises?” Zayn raised an eyebrow and held Liam’s gaze.

“Um. I mean, yes, I did a quick once over but everything seemed fine.” Liam felt a bit embarrassed but he didn’t know why. 

“You’re taking this pretty well,” Niall observed, “ for somebody who can’t remember who they are or where they came from.” 

Zayn nodded slowly. “I think I should be freaking out, but I’m so tired, I can’t get upset. Maybe after a night's sleep I’ll remember?”

As if on queue, Louis stood up and collected Liam and Zayn’s empty bowls. 

“Alright, then, let’s get us all to bed, yeah? Liam, you can have first go in the bathroom” Louis left the room, pushing along Niall and Harry, and everyone chorused their good nights. 

Liam turned to Zayn. “Do you want a shower? Need to use the bathroom?”

Zayn nodded. “Yeah, I’ll use the bathroom, but I’ll take a shower in the morning, I can barely keep my head up.” 

“Do you need help walking?” 

Zayn scooted to the edge of the bed and swung his legs over. He slowly stood up, and took a hesitant step forward. “Nah, I’ll manage. I’m a bit sore, but other than that I’m good. Thanks though. For everything. I mean it.”

“Nothing I wouldn't’ have done for anyone.” Liam was being honest. “You are so calm mate; if I was in your position, I’d be losing my mind and running in a circle.”

Zayn looked sad. “I’m not calm. I’m just… blank, you know? Like, I know how to talk and walk, and I’ll be fine using the bathroom, but when it comes to who I am or where I’m from - ”

He didn’t look too steady on his feet, using the wall for balance, so Liam decided they could talk later. 

“Bathroom’s on the left. There’s an extra toothbrush in the cupboard above the sink, help yourself to soap or anything you need.”

“Thanks.” Zayn slowly walked across the room and down the hall. 

When he came back several minutes later, Liam took his turn. 

Standing in the shower and washing the salt water off, he felt better already. His clothes had been so stiff they had started to chafe. He normally didn’t look at himself when showering; water was limited and he was used to being efficient and fast, but this time, he was somehow more conscious of his body. He looked down at his arms, his legs, his stomach. He was built thicker than Zayn had been, and his skin looked sallow and pale when he thought about the other man’s complexion. He wondered what he would look like with drawings covering his skin. He traced his fingers across his stomach and his hip bones, following the same path he had on Zayn’s body. He looked at the hair between his own legs; it was almost as dark as Zayn’s, but his leg hair was lighter.

Liam shook his head - he needed to hurry up or the other boys would have his arse if the water ran out. He quickly soaped up and rinsed off, and stepped out, toweling himself dry. 

When he returned to the room, he was surprised to find Zayn still awake; he thought the other man would have fallen asleep by now. The light on the dresser was still lit. He saw his housemates had moved the smaller of the two couches from the sitting room and shoved it against the wall opposite the bed. 

Liam grabbed a pair of soft pants to sleep in, and then blew out the wick. In the darkness he pulled on the pants and felt his way over to the small couch. One of the boys had thoughtfully left an extra blanket on the end. Liam lay down and tried to make himself comfortable, but the couch was too short to fully stretch out, and the temperature was fast dropping with winter approaching. The thin blanket wasn’t enough to keep himself warm, and, like everything in the settlement, all items were rationed - the blanket had probably been taken off one of the boys beds. 

He thought longingly of his own bed, and his very thick blankets that he burrowed into. He sighed, and stood up, feeling his way over to his dresser to grab one his warmest sweaters from a drawer. 

“Everything alright over there?” Zayn sounded muffled, like he was speaking through a layer of blanket. 

“Yeah, sorry, just grabbing a sweater, didn’t mean to wake you.” Liam put on the sweater, and then picked out a pair of warm socks for good measure, and turned back to the couch.

“Are you cold?” Zayn’s voice was clear now, as if he had come out of a blanket cocoon. 

“I’m alright.”

“I don’t believe you, this room is freezing. And I saw the sad excuse of a blanket they left you on that tiny couch. You can’t be comfortable.”

“ ‘m fine, really,” Liam insisted. 

But he didn’t lay back down, merely sat on the couch and tried to squint through the darkness. His room had a window, but thick layers of cloud cover obscured the moon and stars, and with his door closed, it was hard to see anything but the faintest outline of Zayn on the bed - who was a lump under the covers - even though the small size of the room meant he was only a couple steps from the bed. 

“Do you think you’re from another settlement?” Liam wondered. “The deliverers tell us there are other settlements, but we’ve never seen them.”

“Dunno. Maybe” Zayn was quiet for a minute. “Is a settlement like a town? How big is your settlement?” 

“I think so. There are 100 of us.” 

“Exactly 100 of you?” Zayn sounded amused. “Interesting. Who are the deliverers?” 

Liam paused. He supposed there was no harm in telling Zayn about the deliverers. “They come once a year, it’s a big deal. Bring supplies, news about the outside world.”

“Hmm.” More silence. And then. “Why don’t you come sleep in the bed with me?”

Liam was shocked. “Um, no, I don’t mind the couch. I wanted you to have the bed, you’ve been through an ordeal today, and I’m not that cold -”

“Liam.” Zayns voice was very soft, and his tone sounded off. “It’s big enough for both of us, c’mon.”

It really wasn’t that big, Liam thought. “Erm, I’ve never - do people ever. I mean, I never shared a bed with anybody.”

“You’ve never…” Zayn was quiet.

Liam tried not to squirm on the couch. “No. I mean. Have you shared a bed with someone?”

“Yeah. How old are you?”

Liam didn’t understand why he asked the question. “Twenty-two.”

Zayn’s voice was disbelieving. “And you’ve never shared a bed with anybody?”

“Why would I?” Liam was confused. “All the boys and I have our own beds.”

Zayn sounded like he was covering a laugh. “Not your housemates - I meant like, anybody in the settlement - men? Women? Never shared a bed with one of them?”

“They all have their own beds…” Liam felt lost in the darkness. Who was this strange man, pulled from the sea, and comfortable sharing beds with anybody, let alone a stranger? Who was Zayn, really?

“Alright, let me ask you something else - if you don’t mind a personal question.”

“I don’t mind.” Liam tried not to sound too eager. Zayn was strange, but he was also the most exciting thing that had happened in the settlement aside from the yearly deliveries, and if he lost sleep staying up all night talking to him, he wouldn’t mind. 

“Are you a virgin?”

He’d never heard that word before. “What’s a virgin?”

“Um, maybe you call it something else. Have you had sex with anybody?”

“Sex?” Now he was more confused than ever. 

“I see.” Zayn sounded like he had confirmed something in his mind. “Liam, I don’t want you to freeze, yeah? Or pull out your back. Would you like to come share the bed with me? I feel bad, like, taking your bed anyway.”

“I told you, I don’t mind, I literally pulled you out of our nets today.”

“Up to you mate - I would like you to come share the bed with me, but only if you feel comfortable.” 

Liam didn’t know how he felt, other than still cold, despite putting on a warm sweater. And the couch was small - but he had only just met Zayn. It was one thing if one of his housemates asked - he had known them for years and felt comfortable around them. But bed -sharing - who shared a bed? But, he supposed today was no normal day. And his curiosity about Zayn was growing by the second. 

Before he could change his mind, he stood up and stepped towards the bed. “Uh, alright, thanks, I’ll share if you’re sure.”

“Oh, I’m sure.” Zayn sounded confident, so Liam supposed it was alright. 

He heard, more than saw, Zayn lift up the heavy layer of blankets and scoot towards the wall the bed was pushed up against. He carefully climbed in, trying not to jostle Zayn or the bed too much. Once he was in, Zayn flipped the covers back over so they were both covered. 

“We can share the pillow. Lift your head up.”

Liam wordlessly obeyed, and let Zayn shove the pillow underneath his head. 

“Zayn. What’s a virgin?”

“It’s someone who hasn’t had sex.”

Liam thought for a second. “And what does that mean?”

“I’ll tell you, I promise. But when you’re ready.”

Liam felt indignant. “I’m ready.”

Zayn laughed. “You’re really, really not. But, you will be. And then I’ll tell you.”

“But I AM ready now -”

Zayn interrupted. “Turn over, yeah?”

Liam turned over, so his back was facing Zayn. 

“Can I touch you?”

Liam felt the same way about Zayn touching him as he did sharing a bed with him. He didn’t know how he felt about it. But once again, an insatiable curiosity about the man kept him from voicing his confusion. “Uh, yeah, go ahead.”

A moment later Liam felt a warm hand on his hip, and then Zayn was resting his hand on his chest and pulling him closer, so that his back was pressed to Zayn’s front. 

“Much better,” Zayn said. “More comfortable this way, should help us sleep. How do you feel?”

“Uh. Good.” Liam’s heart was beating fast, as if he’d been jogging, but he tried to take a couple deep breaths to slow it down. He focused on his breathing, and the warmth of Zayn’s hand, that he could feel even through his sweater, holding the front of his chest. 

It had been the strangest day, which had turned into an even stranger night. Liam felt like it was too much to absorb, and before he knew it, he felt himself falling over the edge of wakefulness into the abyss of sleep, and his last conscious thought was how nice and warm Zayn’s breath felt on the back of his neck.


	3. Part 3

Liam opened his eyes. He was in his room, in his bed, and the early morning sun was faintly shining through his window, but something wasn’t right. 

He felt warm, too warm, and looked down; he was wearing a sweater, but his room was often so cold during the winter months he had worn sweaters to bed before. He was also perilously close to the edge of the bed. He tried to scoot closer to the middle of the bed, but was blocked by a warm body pressed all along his back. The events of the previous day and night came rushing back. 

Zayn. The man from the water who he had shared a bed with.

He didn’t want to wake him, but he also had to use the bathroom. Zayn’s arm was wrapped tightly around his waist, and he was still breathing into Liam’s neck, which had been soothing when he was falling asleep, but now his neck was damp and he was overheated. He hadn’t accounted for the warmth of another body pressed up against his own - it was something he had never experienced. The arm around his waist felt - comforting, he thought. Almost like an anchor. His own housemates sometimes rough-housed and occasionally patted each other on the back, but no one in the settlement partook in physical contact outside of their own housemates. 

The pressure of Zayn's arm was strange, but Liam liked it.

He tried to extricate himself from Zayn’s firm grip, when he felt something against his lower back side. He stopped moving for a moment, and then cautiously pushed himself back. There it was, solid and firm. Liam was concerned, was something wrong? 

He slowly turned over, lifting up Zayn’s arm and gently placing it down on his side; facing Zayn now, he lifted the blankets and looked down. 

It was unmistakable, tenting Zayn’s sleep pants, which were actually Liam’s sleep pants. 

Liam bit his lip, looking down. 

He had an urge to touch. 

In one night he had gone from rarely physically touching anyone, to falling asleep wrapped in a stranger’s arms. 

He reached down, and pulled up the borrowed shirt Zayn was wearing, until he could see the dark trail of hair on his stomach and the edge of the waistband of his sleep pants. He stretched his hand down, fingers brushing Zayn’s stomach, and then he reached lower and slowly stroked the hardness. Zayn made a low noise in the back of his throat, and Liam looked up quickly, relieved to see his eyes were still shut. Growing in confidence, he looked back down, and this time took a more firm grip, feeling the warmth, slowly stroking up and down, feeling how hard Zayn was with a sense of wonder - Liam used the bathroom multiples times a day, and he had never had this happen to his own body - what was causing Zayn to react this way? He slowed down his stroking, now curious - if Zayn’s body could do this, could his body? He reached down with his other hand, about to pull back the waistband of Zayn’s sleep pants so he could touch without a layer of fabric in between, when Zayn’s hand shot out and grabbed his wrist. Liam’s other hand was still gripping him, and he looked up to meet Zayn’s eyes, which were wide open.

“Liam.” Zayn’s voice sounded dangerous. “What are you doing?”

“Erhm.” Liam took a deep breath, and let go of Zayn, who held on tightly to the wrist of his other hand. “Um. Sorry. I’m so sorry. I wasn’t’ trying to - I just. Wanted to make sure you weren’t sick or something and I didn’t mean to touch it but -”

“Aye, listen, yeah?” Zayn’s eyes were intense in their glare. “First rule of bed-sharing - never, ever, touch someone without their consent. Understand?”

Liam swallowed. “Yes, yes, of course. I’m so sorry.”

“Now, what'd ya mean you thought I was sick?”

Liam wanted to throw himself in the nearby bay and never come up for air, he felt so mortified. The most exciting thing to happen to the settlement, a stranger appearing out of nowhere in his fishing nets, and he had literally grabbed them in a private, intimate part of their body. He would never have done that to his housemates - he would have woken them up and asked them what was wrong. Or at least, he hoped he would have. Now he wasn’t so sure. Zayn was confusing him. 

“Uh, I mean. Not that it’s any of my business, but I’ve uh… never seen that happen, so I thought maybe uh.” Zayn was still making intense eye contact, which was further ruining Liam’s concentration. “I thought maybe something was wrong with you.” 

Zayn raised one thick eyebrow, eyes still boring into Liams. “Mate - what do you use your dick for, other than to piss then?”

Liam had never heard it called a dick before. “Uh, that’s it. What else would I use it for?”

Zayn’s eyebrow went down, and his brow furrowed. He was quiet for a moment. “Can I ask you a personal question?”

“Of course.” Liam was beginning to feel like he would never deny Zayn his questions. And shouldn’t it be the other way around, as he had a million things to ask him.

“Have you ever touched yourself? I mean, aside from when you're taking a piss.”

All this talk of taking a piss was making Liam remember he had to use the bathroom. “Um, actually, do you mind if I come right back? Have to use the bathroom. ”

Zayn smiled. “Yeah, I’ll be here. Not going anywhere.” 

Liam quickly rolled out of bed, and raced to use the bathroom. Luckily, none of his housemates were up yet, he was usually the first one up, awakening with the sunrise. 

When he returned he carefully closed the door. 

“Does that door lock?” Zayn asked from where he was still in bed under the blankets. 

“Locked? No, the only locks in the settlement are on the supply store.”

Zayn sighed. “Of course. Take the chair -” he gestured to the chair Liam had fallen asleep in the previous day, “- and push it up against the door so the top part is wedged under the door knob.” 

Liam tried to follow his instructions. “Like this?” He shoved the chair under the door knob as best he could.

“Good enough. It’ll at least slow down anyone trying to barge in. Now come back to bed.”

Liam obeyed, slipping under the covers again, lying so he faced Zayn. They were very, very close. He could see the faint freckles on the bridge of his nose, and his left eye actually had its own freckle at the corner of the iris. Up close, his eyes weren’t that dark, they were actually a brilliant dark gold hazel, with faint flecks of brown and moss green scattered. Liam had never seen anything like them. 

“Liam.” 

Liam blinked. “Uh, yeah?’

“Listen, yeah? I want to repeat this because you need to understand. When you share a bed, you need to always make sure the other person you share with consents to everything you do together. Makes sense?”

Liam nodded. “Yeah. Yes, makes sense.” 

“Good. Now where were we?”

Liam felt his heart speed up. “You asked me if I touched myself. Down there. When I’m not using the bathroom. And I uh, don’t. Other than to wash up in the shower.”

Zayn tilted his head, considering. “I’m almost afraid to ask, but what do you call it?”

Liam raised his eyebrows in confusion. 

“Your dick?” Zayn clarified. 

“Oh, ah, I’ve never heard it called that actually until you said it before,” Liam admitted. “We just call it a, uh penis.”

“Alright, well at least you know the correct term.” Zayn smiled. “Penis is fine, but let’s stick with dick or, my personal favorite, cock, when we’re sharing a bed. Are you comfortable with that?”

“Cock,” Liam whispered. The word really had no meaning, but saying it felt like a secret, a secret that he only shared with Zayn. 

Zayn giggled, a pleasant sound. “You seem to like that one, so let’s stick with that. First step, push your pants down, and take out your cock. But - only if you feel comfortable with that.”

Liam didn’t know how to say he didn’t know if he was comfortable doing that or not. But Zayn was watching him, and he felt a strong urge to please the strange man with the burnished gold eyes. 

He obediently pushed his pants down, wiggling in the bed as he pushed them down to his mid-thigh, exposing himself. He felt embarrassed again, but he didn’t know why. It’s not like he was going to use the bathroom in front of Zayn. 

Zayn looked down, underneath the blankets, as Liam took his penis - his cock, he corrected himself - in hand. It felt like it always did - warm and soft. 

“How does that feel?” 

“Uh. Warm. Soft. That’s about it.”

Zayn smiled. “But does it feel good?”

“Uh. It doesn’t feel bad. But it doesn't really feel like anything.” 

“Hmmm.” Zayn gave him that considering look again. “Has anyone else ever touched you there?”

Liam shook his head no.

“Are you alright if I touch it?”

Liam felt like he was approaching something monumental, but he didn’t know what. He let go of himself.

“Go ahead.” 

Zayn’s tongue pushed between his teeth, and he reached down, slowly grasping onto Liam - it felt the same as when he touched himself. Not bad, but not really anything. He liked the look of Zayn’s hand and his narrower fingers, gripped around himself. Zayn started stroking. Liam winced.

“Too dry? Uncomfortable?” Zayn stopped stoking.

“Uh, yeah.” 

Zayn lifted his hand to his mouth, and Liam watched in interest as his pink tongue darted out and licked long stripes up his own hand. This entire thing - whatever this THING was that they were doing - was fascinating. 

Zayn stopped licking, and reached back down. This time when he stroked, the glide was wet and smooth. Liam still didn’t know what he was supposed to be feeling, and unlike Zayn, he wasn’t getting hard; he was as soft as he had been when they started. 

“Um, like this is nice and all, I guess - but I’m not getting hard like you. Is that normal?”

Zayn stopped again, head tilted, and then looked back up at Liam.

“You seem to be a healthy, twenty-two year old man. You sure you’ve never gotten hard before?”

Liam shook his head. 

“And you’ve never seen anyone else get hard? Or touch themselves?”

Liam shrugged. “No. But I’ve never shared a bed with anyone before.” 

“Hmm. Do you take any medication? Any pills?”

“Yeah, how’d you know that?” Liam was surprised. Unless every settlement takes the same medication. Which would make sense, he supposed. But how would Zayn remember that but not his own name?

Zayn broke eye contact and looked out the window for a moment; the morning sun had fully risen, and the room was bright. He looked back at Liam. “Call it a hunch.”

There was a loud knock on the door that startled them both. 

“Liam where’s breakfast?” Niall called. “Hurry up.”

In the middle of their - medical examination? Liam wasn’t really sure what to call it, but he’d completely forgotten today was his turn for the meals. 

“We take turns,” he explained to Zayn, as he hurried out of bed and started pulling on clothes for the day. “The others go out on the boat, for the fishing haul, and then one of us stays behind for the cooking and cleaning and feeding the animals. I got to make breakfast - you can borrow any clothes you need.”

“Thanks, mate. Do you mind if I sleep a bit longer? Knackered from yesterday.”

“Sure thing,” Liam said absently, already thinking about the quickest breakfast he could whip up for everyone.

Two hours later, breakfast had been served and the kitchen cleaned, the goats and chickens had been fed, and Liam’s project for the day was to clean the back room, or the fish room.

He first removed the several large, tightly woven baskets that were still in the room (the rest of them were out on the boat), and placed them outside. The day was overcast, but no storms were predicted, only intermittent rain. 

Next, he started removing the barrels, which took forever, but it was imperative that the room was properly cleaned. He was coming back inside after carrying a barrel, and despite the cold weather he was in a thin shirt, as cleaning the fish room was sweaty work, when he saw Zayn standing in the doorway to the fish room.

“Oh, that fish smell is strong back here, yeah?”

Zayn was wearing one of Liam’s red sweaters - his shoulders were broad but his build was much slimmer, so the sweater hung off him a bit. His hair curled at the ends and was still damp, he must have taken a shower.

“You get used to it. I saved you a plate of breakfast, it’s on the kitchen counter.”

Zayn smiled and nodded, and turned towards the kitchen, and Liam continued to move the barrels outside, one at a time. On his next trip back inside Zayn was back in the doorway, eating from the plate Liam had prepared. 

“This is good, thanks. You cook a lot?”

“On the days when it’s my turn. But everyone’s a good cook. Well. Louis maybe not so much.”

Liam took out the last barrel and came back in. “You feeling better?”

“Yeah,” Zayn said in between bites. “I was so tired, yesterday took a lot out of me. I needed that extra hour of sleep.”

“Uh, that’s good. I mean, is everything else feeling better?”

“Everything else?” Zayn kept eating, taking big bites.

“I mean. Everything else. Is your cock feeling better?”

Zayn stopped chewing and started coughing. Liam was concerned he was going to choke. When he got it under control, he started laughing. 

“Mate - was not expecting those words from your mouth. Uh, yeah, that’s feeling better. I solved the problem, so to speak.”

“So to speak?” Liam started wiping down the tables where they salted the fish before packing them into the barrels. 

“Listen - I think you’re ready for rule number two.”

“What’s rule number one?” Liam wiped at a stubborn spot on the table.

“Rule one is to always ask the other person for consent - always ask if what you’re doing to them is alright.”

“Oh, yeah. Yes, of course. So what’s rule number two.”

Zayn chuckled. “You are eager to learn, I’ll give you that. Rule number two - do not talk about bed sharing activities outside of the bed. “

Liam stopped wiping and looked up at Zayn, who had finished his breakfast and watching him work. “Oh. Well.”

Zayn shrugged. “It’s just you and me right now, no one else is around, so it’s fine. But not in front of anyone else.”

Liam thought about how he felt saying the word cock for the first time. It felt like a secret. And here was another secret. He had never kept anything from his housemates before, there was no need. 

“I’ve never kept anything from the boys before. We tell each other everything.”

Zayn sat down in the doorway, setting his plate aside. “It’s not that it’s a secret. It’s more like -” he smoothed his eyebrows down with his fingertips. “More polite not to talk about that kind of stuff to the people not directly involved. It’s hard to explain.”

Liam thought for a long moment. “Can I ask you a personal question?” He tried to word it the way Zayn had.

It worked; Zayn smiled. “You can ask me anything, I mean it. As long as it’s just you and me, you don't have to ask. You get blanket permission. Anything is on the table.” 

“Same. I mean, same to you. You can ask me anything.”

Zayn nodded.

“What are the drawings? On your skin.” Liam didn't want to come across as rude. He added hastily, “I like them, they’re interesting. Do they wash off?” 

“Ah, they’re called tattoos. And nah, they’re permanent. Inked into the skin.”

“Does everyone in your settlement have them?”

Zayn looked pensive. “Dunno. Can’t remember.” 

“Don’t worry. We’ll have you remembering in no time.” Liam didn’t want to see that sad look on his face. “But you remember what they’re called, so you remember some things, yeah?”

Zayn looked at him. “Yeah. Can’t figure out how I know some things but not others.”

Liam smiled. “You’ll get your memory back, I know you will.”

“Here’s to hoping,” Zayn said, eyes going dark.


	4. Part 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have an update - hope everyone is enjoying so far! :)

Liam spent the rest of the morning cleaning the fish room while Zayn kept him company.

“Why'd you get the drawings? The wings across your chest - the wolf at the base of your throat? Did they hurt?” Liam wondered, dragging in the last barrel once the floor had dried after a thorough mopping.

“Don’t remember. Couldn’t have hurt too much since I got so many. Must have liked the designs - or maybe I just wanted a pair of wings to fly away on.” Zayn chuckled. “You ever feel like - like, you want to be somewhere else?” 

Liam smiled at that. “Sometimes. The settlements alright, and I love the boys. But - like when I’m out on the water, or at night, looking out my window at the moon. I think to meself - there has to be more out there right? Other people, other settlements. Other - places. There has to be more to life than this, right? You came from somewhere, you didn’t fall from the sky.”

“No, didn’t fall from the sky.” Zayn stood up from where he had been sitting in the doorway, watching Liam work. “What’s next?” 

Liam surveyed the room. “Next I get cleaned up. Then lunch for when the boys return from the bay.” 

“Can I help? With lunch? I want to be useful - you lot taking me in and all and being so nice.”

“Zayn. We’ve never had a visitor here, I told ya. We don’t mind at all.” Liam smiled. “And lunch is going to be cold fish sandwiches, easy to make, but you can keep me company, if you want? It’s nice to have someone to talk to on my stay at home day. Usually I’m just cleaning and cooking and talking to myself as I go.”

In the kitchen Zayn leaned against the counter while Liam took out fish from the ice box; the fish had been cooked several days before so it was ready to eat. He unwrapped the bread Harry had baked on his stay at home day earlier in the week - Harry was by far the best baker of the bunch - and started slicing off pieces to make into sandwiches. 

“So, why don’t you?” Zayn asked. “Leave the settlement - or, like, see what else is out there?” 

Liam stopped cutting bread and looked up, confused. “We can’t leave. Why do you think the deliverers come once a year? For our protection.”

“Why can’t you leave?”

“You don't remember? How can you forget!”

Zayn ran his hand through his hair, fluffing it up. “I don’t know. I can’t - I don’t know where I’m from or what it’s like. I wish I could but - “

“Sorry, I’m sorry,” Why did Liam feel like he’d just met the man and yet he had already apologized for so much? He had no idea how to act around anybody that he hadn’t known for most of his life. 

“No, it’s fine, like, it’s like an unfinished painting, yeah?”

“A painting?”

“You know, like, there are blank places on the canvas. And then, like, other places have only an outline - but then other parts are filled in, with paint, with color, and are vivid. But they’re right next to the blank spaces.”

Liam had no idea what Zayn was talking about, but he mumbled “yeah” and went back to cutting bread. 

“So why can’t you up and leave and take a trip then?”

“Well,” Liam didn’t know where to start. He didn’t want to overwhelm or upset Zayn with information, but he couldn’t imagine navigating in the dark without a light, either. “I’ll try to keep it simple. But, be ready, it’s a lot.” Liam looked over and Zayn was watching him with his full attention, so he told the story of how he ended up at the settlement. 

“Thirteen years ago, there was a virus that spread - it was deadly and spread really fast. Many, many people died, and it devastated most of the world. There was no cure. I was lucky enough to survive. Louis and I were actually from the same town, but we didn’t know each other before. But they, the deliverers, came and rescued us, and we traveled together - and they brought us here. We were assigned to room with Harry and Niall - Niall came from even further away, you can tell by his accent. And we’ve lived here ever since.” 

Liam paused for a breath. 

“We can’t leave because the virus is still out there. We have to take a pill once a week - that medication I mentioned - to help keep us free of the virus. But a full cure still hasn’t been discovered, so we aren’t allowed to leave the settlement.”

There was silence. 

Zayn looked to be absorbing the information, but he didn’t seem to be panicking. Finally, he said,

“Then who are these deliverers? They come once a year to check on you?”

“Yeah, they come once a year - the deliverers make sure we have everything we need. They taught us how to fish, how to take care of animals - they bring new animals for us if we need them, seeds for the garden, things like that. The council checks the supply building, and then goes to each house a month before the deliverers arrive, to make a list of everything we need, and they travel to where the deliverers live to share the list and petition for the items we need. And then the deliverers bring it to us a month later.”

“Hmm.” Zayn made a non-committal noise. “And what’s the council?”

Liam finished cutting the bread and was building the sandwiches, putting fish and pickled tomato on each piece. “There’s 100 of us in the settlement - but the council is four older people. Everyone in the settlement is our age, youngish, except the council members. They live in a house behind the supply building, the council residence, and are in charge of distribution of supplies and such.”

“Sounds organized.” 

“It is. There are 24 houses with four housemates in each one - twelve houses for the men and twelve houses for the women. The council is very precise. We almost never run out of anything. Oh, that reminds me - we need to disclose you to the council this afternoon.”

“What do you mean by disclose?” Zayn twisted the sleeves of Liam’s sweater, eyes wide.

“Don’t worry,” Liam assured. “If anything out of the ordinary happens we have to let them know - a disclosure incident, it’s called. And pulling you out of the ocean - well, that's about as extraordinary as it gets around here. Tomato on your sandwich?”

“Uh, sure. Thank you.” 

Lunch was rowdy, the boys in a good mood and ready to question Zayn, but Liam felt protective of him and tried to shut down the questions. Zayn, it turned out, was more than capable of holding his own.

“What if you like - close your eyes - “ Harry suggested, “and meditate - like, concentrate, to help bring your memory back-” 

Niall interrupted. “Nah, you need to go for like, a long run, or stand on your head, get the brain juices flowing.”

“Brain juices - really Niall?” Louis snorted. “C’mon Zayn, don’t listen to them. Take a long shower - that will clear out the brain. You have to be from somewhere - another settlement, or maybe you work with the deliverers?”

Liam cleared his throat in annoyance. “Boys -why don’t we let Zayn eat his lunch, he said, several times, he can NOT remember - “

Zayn waved Liam off. “It’s fine. I think the memories will come back when I least expect it yeah? If you have a traumatic event, a head injury, or the like, you can lose your short - term memory - but most of the time it comes back.”

Liam was impressed. “How do you know this? Do you know someone that had a head injury?”

“Erhm. No. I mean maybe. What happens in the settlement when someone gets sick - they see the doctor, yeah?” 

The boys all looked at each other. Harry answered

“No doctor mate, we don't get sick. Our medication keeps us healthy.”

“Well what if someone gets hurt? Or has an accident - breaks a leg?”

“That happened last year,” Niall piped up. “With Amanda. Part of the roof in the house they were fixing fell on her.”

Everyone was silent for a minute. 

Amanda had been friendly and always had a smile on her face. Liam had liked her. 

“What happened to her? “ Zayn prompted. 

“Couple council members took her away - said they were taking her to the deliverers, so she could get the help she needed.” Louis shrugged. “I’m sure she’s fine now.”

Zayn raised an eyebrow - Liam thought he looked like he was carefully absorbing and then filing away the information he was given. 

“She never came back?”

“It’s only happened a handful of times since we’ve been here.” Liam explained. “If you get hurt, or there’s an accident, the council takes you to the deliverers. It’s better that way, cause you can get the help you need. Originally there were 100 of us, and then four council members, but now there’s 96 of us.”

Zayn lifted his sandwich up to his mouth, then paused. “So four people got hurt?”

“Uh let’s see - Amanda and the roof collapse. Bernard fell off a boat and they actually never found him.” Niall frowned. “That was terrible.”

“And then Judy, got her leg stuck in that bear trap,” Harry winced. 

“And we don’t know about Roger, really, nobody does.” Liam shrugged.

“Roger?” Zayn looked interested. 

“One day he was here, the next he wasn’t. Council said he was taken to the deliverers, but we don’t think that’s true - a council member would take the injured person to the deliverers, and none of them had left.” Louis narrowed his eyes. “Maybe he fell in the bay as well, who knows.” 

Zayn looked deep in thought, then he took a bite of his sandwich, and the conversation changed direction like the wind in the bay. 

The boys headed back to the water after lunch and cleanup, and Liam led Zayn down the path toward the supply building and the council residence.

“After lunch, I have to salt the fish from the morning catch they brought in, but I’ll do that after we disclose you. So this side of the path is all the men’s houses, and that side,” he gestured to the opposite side of the path, “is all the women's houses.”

“And never the twain shall meet?” Zayn said, with a shake of his head.

“Sorry?”

“From a poem, never mind. And the women and men are separate? Why is that?”

Liam had never really thought about this. “We see each other and talk to each other all the time, I dunno. I suppose only living arrangements are separated. Always been that way, so.” Liam didn’t really mind one way or the other - he liked his housemates, he was lucky, he knew, not all the houses got along as well as the four of them did. 

They reached the largest structure in the settlement, the supply building, which had a thick padlock and chain wrapped around the front door. “Only the council members have keys,” Liam said, leading Zayn around to the back of the building where the council residence sat. 

He almost ran into Alfred, who was headed around the corner from the opposite direction. 

“Ah, sorry mate.” Liam said, putting his hand out, so he didn’t run headlong into the other man.

“No worries. Are you looking for the council? They left this morning for the annual meeting with the deliverers to petition for supplies.” 

Liam was surprised. The council never deviated from schedule. “They weren’t scheduled to leave for several more days?”

“Yes, not sure what happened. Council Jane woke me up this morning, before sunrise. She said there’d been a change of plans, they had to meet the deliverers earlier than planned, and gave me the supply key.” 

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a large key - and then Liam noticed he held the Council clipboard in his other hand. “They asked me to run inventory, and make sure nothing was expired or out of date, and distribute anything necessary while they were gone, so, there you have it.”

Alfred was around Liam’s age, but he had a calm, dry demeanor that made him seem older; he was also one of the head plumbers - Liam thought he was a good choice to be placed in charge. 

“Whose this now?” 

Zayn had stepped out from behind the corner of the building to stand next to Liam. Alfred was visibly startled, eyes round and mouth agape; Liam didn’t blame him - the strange man’s appearance was really the most exciting thing to happen in the settlement since… forever. 

“Uh, this is Zayn. Zayn, Alfred. Zayn is -”

“Visiting from another settlement,” Zayn interrupted, and Liam gave him an incredulous look. 

Alfred’s expression was one of shock. “Another settlement? How far from here? Why didn't the council make an announcement?” 

“Up the coast,” Zayn gestured vaguely. “The council didn’t want to make a big issue out of it. I’m only here because, um, the fishing. We’ve been having issues, like… catching the fish. So, here to observe Liam and the boys, and then take notes back home.” 

Zayn smiled, looking satisfied with his made up answer, but Liam didn’t know what to do.

“Oh, well. Oh my. Pardon my stare - we don’t get visitors around here, other than the deliveries. Is your settlement -”

“Sorry Alfred, we’ll talk later - very busy, you know, we have to salt the fish, I have to show Zayn our method, which is - different from his settlement’s method - you know how it is. Talk later?” Liam grabbed Zayn by the arm and practically dragged him away from the supply building and back down the path to his house. 

“Uh, yeah, talk to you later.” Alfred’s voice trailed behind them. 

Once they had reached a suitable distance, Liam turned to Zayn and hissed, “What was that?”

Zayn, however, didn’t look the least perturbed, he was smiling. “Can you please let go of my arm now?”

Liam looked down. “Oh, uh, yes, sorry,” he let go. He was suddenly glad his over-sized sweater covered up all the drawings on Zayn's skin. 

“I think, until your council returns, it’s best if everyone thinks I’m from another settlement, yeah? So as not to alarm anybody.”

“You have to be from another settlement! Either that or you work with the deliverers.” 

Zayn looked at Liam, his gaze intense. Liam was beginning to think all of Zayn’s looks were intense. 

“Well, yes, chances are. But I think, if we let your housemates know, this is the story. And then we can disclose, as you say, when your council comes back. Like I said, don't want to alarm anybody. “

Liam was reluctant to agree, but he didn't want to go back and explain to Alfred they had lied to him. “I guess. I mean. If you really think so. Unless your memory comes back first, of course.”

“Oh, yeah, of course,” Zayn said, but it sounded more like an afterthought. 

When they got back to the house, Liam paused in the doorway to the fish room - he had plenty of time to salt the fish and prepare dinner before the boys got back, and still have more than an hour of free time. He knew how he wanted to spend his free hour - but would Zayn be interested?

Liam turned around and faced Zayn, who was helping himself to a glass of water in the kitchen. 

“Uh, Zayn, can I ask you a personal question?” Liam felt proud he was following proper procedure. 

Zayn took a swig of water. “Is this a bed-sharing question?”

“Um, yes.” Liam looked away from Zayn, and pretended to study the wall instead. 

“Can your fish wait?” 

“Yes - I have a free hour or so until I have to start salting the morning haul, then time to work on dinner.”

Zayn set his water glass down and smiled - his smile was slow and easy. “Let’s go to your bed, yeah? You can ask the question from there, how’s that sound?’

“Sounds good.” Liam knew he sounded eager, but he was so excited to spend time with Zayn - it was like their SECRET time, he thought - that he didn’t care if he came across as desperate. 

“Lead the way,” Zayn smirked, and Liam tried not to walk too quickly to his room.


	5. Part 5

Once in the bedroom, Liam watched Zayn shut the door, and then take the chair from the corner and shove it underneath the door knob.

Liam swallowed heavily. “The boys are out in the bay, there’s no storm today - they won’t be back for hours.”

Zayn shook his head. “Better safe than sorry. Once you’ve had someone walk in on you - well, you always lock your door. Or in this case, block the door. But it’ll do for now. Ok, shoes and pants off.”

Liam hesitated. “Pants too?” 

Zayn smiled. “More comfortable, yeah?”

Liam nodded as he untied his boots and stepped out of them, almost falling over as he tried to keep his head up, watching Zayn toe off his borrowed boots, then push down his pants, which were Liam’s smallest pair that didn’t fit him, but were still loose around Zayn’s narrow waist. 

Zayn climbed into bed, crawling under the covers, and Liam quickly followed. The bed had not changed in size since the last night, , so Liam found himself once again staring into Zayn’s eyes, the space between their bodies so miniscule as to be insignificant. 

“It’s funny. Being in bed in the middle of the day yeah?” Liam was nervous. When he was nervous he rambled. “Being daylight and all - I mean, not much sun today, bit cloudy out, which for this time of year isn’t unusual. I mean, it’s pretty cloudy year-round here, gotta take those sunshine days when you can -”

“Liam.” Zayn cut him off, but his lips curved up and his eyes sparkled. “You said you had a personal question to ask me? A bed-sharing question?”

“Um, yeah. Yes. So I guess I should ask it.” Liam didn’t know why he was so nervous. Zayn had given him blanket permission. “When you said earlier that you took care of your problem. Your, uh. Cock problem.”

Zayn giggled, the noise loud so close to Liam’s face. “Was that a question?”

Liam pushed his head forward so he was on the pillow. The same pillow Zayn’s head rested on. “How did you, um take care of it? How did you make it feel - better? Less hard I guess.”

“Ah. I see. I think we should start at the beginning. Have you ever kissed anyone? Or been kissed?”

“Kissed? I don’t know…” 

Zayn blinked, slowly, then nodded. “Kissing. So when two people share a bed - they can do all sorts of things together. Kissing is when their mouths touch - it’s better than it sounds, trust me.”

“Kissing.” Liam repeated. “And people enjoy it - touching mouths?”

“Do you want to find out?” 

“Yes. Yes please.”

Zayn looked down at Liam’s lips, his tongue darting out to wet his own lips. Liam was fascinated, seeing the tip of Zayn’s tongue - so pink - softly run along his own lips.

Zayn cleared his throat. “Purse your lips, like this.” He made a small pout and Liam self-consciously copied him. “Good. Just like that . You have nice lips, you know. Now close your eyes.”

“But I want to see?” Liam didn’t want to miss anything during secret bed-sharing time. 

“We’ll be so close you’ll be cross-eyed - people close their eyes cause they’ll just be staring at each other's blurry, up close cross-eyes. Trust me on this, it’s better to close ‘em.”

Liam closed his eyes, nervous, not sure what to expect; at the last second he remembered to purse his lips. He startled when he felt fingers run through his short hair, and then gently grasp the back of his neck - Zayn tilted his head to the side, ever so slightly, and his fingertips rubbed into the sides of Liam’s neck, in a slow massage.

“Relax, you’ll enjoy it more if you relax,” Zayn said, and he must have been close, so close to Liam’s face, as he felt the warm breath from his words on his lips.

And then the next moment Liam felt Zayn’s damp lips on his own mouth, nothing more than a soft press; more of an impression of lips than anything else, a faint echo. It was curious; he didn’t know what to make of the sensation. 

Zayn’s fingers continued to rub small circles into the side of Liam’s neck, and then his lips were back, this time the press less gentle. 

Liam kept his eyes closed and sunk into the touch - he felt the warmth of Zayn’s lips, the heat of his breath, and his fingers; his finger never stopped moving and caressing his neck. He felt like he was sinking underwater, but the water was warm, and his body was so, so lax. It was cozy under the covers, and he was enjoying not only the sensations but the sounds of kissing - the crinkle of his hair moving against the pillow, the rustle of the blankets, the soft noises their lips made every time Zayn pulled back and then pressed forward again. He continued to guide Liam, tilting his head this way and that, and he was eager to taste Zayn from all angles. 

Then Zayn moved, lowering his mouth until he started sucking on Liam’s bottom lip, at first gently, and then harder; Liam’s breath hitched and he scooted forward, trying to get closer to Zayn, until they were pressed together, chest to hips, their legs rubbing up against each other. Liam forgot they had forgone pants. Zayn’s feet were cold, so he trapped them under his own feet. It was the polite thing to do, he figured. 

He felt Zayn pull back, but he didn’t want the kissing to end. He chased his lips, pushing forward until he found his mouth - he pressed forward, starting gently, but after a minute, feeling more confident, he pressed harder, trying to memorize his pout. Zayn opened his mouth, but Liam kept kissing him, caught up, not sure if he was doing it correctly but he figured Zayn would let him know if he made a wrong move. 

He felt Zayn’s tongue push against the seam of his own lips; causing him to shiver. He reached out - for what he wasn’t sure, but he felt like he was floating away and he needed to anchor himself. He grabbed on to Zayn’s waist, and then shivered again when Zayn licked harder against his mouth. 

Zayn pulled back until their lips weren’t touching. “When I lick your lips, you can open your mouth. If you like, we can kiss with tongues.” His voice was low and rough. 

Liam opened his eyes. Zayn was right, they were so close together everything was out of focus. He shut his eyes again. “I’d like that. How’m I doing?”

“Good. You’re doing so good Liam.”

A wave of warmth washed over him; he was doing a good job, Zayn was pleased. He smiled, and then Zayn was back against his lips. His hand squeezed his neck, and he started licking Liam’s lips again; this time, Liam opened his mouth a bit, unsure, but excited about what would happen next. 

Zayn’s lips were on his own, firm and damp again - he must have licked them - and then he felt Zayn’s tongue - it ran along his bottom lip, and then his top lip, and then it slipped inside his mouth, and gently ran along Liam’s bottom teeth, until he opened his mouth wider.

He was not prepared for the gliding caress of Zayn’s tongue exploring his mouth - it wasn’t like a tickle, but caused a shiver down his spine, and he pushed even closer, feeling Zayn’s firm chest press into his as his tongue curled around Liam’s own tongue.

He panted, and felt the urge to explore Zayn’s body; he cautiously moved his hand from his waist, and ran it up his back, feeling his shoulder blades through Liam’s sweater.

He pulled back. “Can I - can I touch you?” 

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever you want - blanket permission.”

Liam leaned forward, mouth already open, and this time he was ready, and met Zayn’s tongue with his own. Everything was soft and warm and melting, and his lips felt swollen and hyper-sensitive - the smallest brush against them caused Liam to pant. He ran his hand up Zayn’s back to his neck, and then he gently squeezed it, like Zayn was doing to his own neck. He ran his hand back down his back, and then his fingertips played at the hem of the sweater, before reaching underneath and touching bare skin. 

Zayn’s back was warm and smooth to the touch, and Liam ran gentle fingers in a path up his spine and back down again as he pushed his tongue into Zayn’s eager mouth; he was ready to explore all of Zayn - his hot mouth and the firm muscles of his back and the knobs of his spine. 

Then his hand moved lower, over the waistband of Zayn’s underwear - and Liam realized Zayn must be wearing HIS underwear, as he had been naked under his water suit. The thought of Zayn wearing his underwear caused him to groan, and he reached lower and -

“Can I - can I touch your bum?” Liam had pulled back and opened his eyes. Zayn’s eyes were still closed. 

Zayn made a small noise. “I told you - blanket permission. And you can call it an ass, you know.”

“An ass?” Liam didn’t have time to wonder, as his eyes were still open, and he watched Zayn move back in. But instead of his mouth, Zayn trailed his lips along Liam’s jawline, leaving a kiss, and then gentle bites. Liam closed his eyes and tipped his head back, enjoying the sensation. Zayn pressed a kiss to the underside of his jaw and moved down his neck, pausing to suck, and then kiss, the tender skin

Liam never knew that having his neck sucked on could feel so good.

“Ah, Zayn. I like that. Feels good.”

Zayn sucked harder, and Liam’s hand flexed, then reached down and grabbed a handful of Zayn’s bum - ass - and squeezed. 

Zayn moaned and sucked even harder. Liam felt hot, and a pleasure pain, a strange tingling sensation began where Zayn's lips touched his neck, but he didn’t want it to stop. He started to knead Zayn’s tight ass, listening to the noises he was making. He pulled Zayn in, then felt the now familiar hardness. He stopped squeezing, and leaned back, opening his eyes. 

Zayn finished sucking his neck, licking over the area he had made tender and hot, causing Liam’s breath to hitch again.

“Zayn - why are you hard?” Liam’s voice sounded strange to his own ears; low and raspy and a bit breathless. He lifted his hand to his lips, enjoying how they sparked with sensation, swollen and wet when he ran his finger back and forth over them. 

“I’m hard cause I’m turned on.” Zayn finally looked up from Liam’s neck, and Liam stopped rubbing his own lips to reach forward and slowly run a finger along his bottom lip, which was also wet and swollen. Zayn’s eyes went half lidded, and he looked sleepy and content, but then his eyes were wide and he looked alert.

“Can I touch you?” 

Liam nodded. “Of course.”

He watched as Zayn licked his own hand, long wet stripes, and he knew before Zayn reached downward where his hand was going, but his stomach still clenched in anticipation. 

Zayn carefully pulled down the top of Liam’s underwear, then pulled out his cock, and started stroking up and down. Once again, it didn't feel bad, exactly, but it didn’t really feel like anything.

Zayn stopped stroking, and looked at him, and Liam was once again pinned by his dark gaze. “So kissing? What’d ya think.”

“Yeah, I really liked it. I never thought I’d like someone’s tongue in my mouth, but, felt nice. You’re a good teacher.”

Zayn let out a snort. “Well, I don’t know about that, but.” His voice dropped. “Do you like touching me?”

Liam again tried not to be too eager, but he couldn’t help it. “Yes. You’re so warm and smooth and compact.”

Zayn smiled, grin crooked and tongue pushing against his teeth; it changed his entire demeanor, and Liam decided that he wanted to see Zayn smile again. 

“Don’t know if I’ve ever been called compact before, but thanks. I think.” 

“So, why do you get hard -” Liam paused. “And I don’t. And how do you take care of it?”

Zayn took a deep breath, the smile falling off his face. “I think it’s the medication for the virus you take.” Zayn frowned. “Like, some medication has side effects, and I think that’s one of the side effects - you can’t get hard." He shrugged. "So I can ignore it, till it goes away. Or I can touch it and that feels really good, until I reach a - well, a climax, I guess.”

“Oh.” Liam thought about it. “I want to make you feel good. Help you take care of it. You taught me about kissing, after all. Can I do that, help you?”

Zayn let out a low moan. “Yeah, yeah if you want to.” 

He reached out and grabbed Liam’s left wrist and brought it to his mouth, and licked, long and wet, across Liam’s palm. It tickled, but he tried not to squirm. 

“Alright, be gentle. But not too gentle. I like it a bit rough yeah?”

Liam nodded. He looked at Zayn - they were both lying on their sides, facing each other - this might be hard on his wrist. “Lay on your back, yeah?” he suggested.

Zayn smirked, then reached up, pulling off his borrowed sweater, and tossing it over the side of the bed, so he was in nothing but Liam’s underwear. Then he lay back down, and stretched out, drawings on his chest and arms on full display. 

“So I don’t mess your sweater,” he explained, but Liam had no idea what he meant. 

Liam leaned forward, propping himself up on his right elbow, and pressing up against Zayn’s side. He slowly peeled down his borrowed underwear, until Zayn’s cock, swollen and red, a much darker red than his lips, was free. 

Liam was half in admiration, half intimidated. He had never touched anybody's but his own, but Zayn's cock looked so velvety and - pretty, if that was possible. 

He grasped around the base, circling his fingers, and slowly stroked up to the head, then stroked back down again, imitating how Zayn had touched him. It felt warm, warmer than his own ever felt, and it seemed to get even harder the longer he stroked. He experimented, speeding up and slowing down, sometimes twisting his wrist at the top over the head, which he noticed was starting to look wet at the slit. 

Zayns eyes were closed, the tendons in neck straining, and his hands were clenching in the sheets - Liam couldn't tell if it felt good, bad, or just intense for him. 

“How’s it feel?” Liam watched as Zayn looked down, his mouth slightly parted, and then he looked up.

Zayn let out a soft moan. "Feel's good." 

"What's being hard feel like?"

"Feels, feels like I'm full and sensitive. The more you touch me the more sensitive I get."

“My hands are rougher than yours.” Zayn’s hands had been smooth on his own cock, Liam’s hands were calloused from years of working on the boat.

Zayn shook his head. “Nah, feels good. You can go faster if you want."

Liam firmed up his grip, and twisted, stroking up faster, feeling Zayn throb in his hand - it was so intimate and new and Liam felt overwhelmed.

"You're getting wet."

Zayn let out another soft moan. "Yeah, getting close."

Liam felt his insatiable curiosity take over. He couldn't stop looking at the head, so swollen and wet and flushed.

"I want to taste it? Can I taste you?"

"Fuck Liam," Zayn groaned, "yeah, put your mouth on me, just the head, yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Mind the teeth, alright?"

Liam leaned over, and opened his mouth, careful to cover his teeth- he gave the head a soft suck, then licked across the slit, tasting Zayn. It was salty and not what he expected. He licked again and Zayn made a low noise, hips flexing into the air.

"Feels good?"

"Fuck, don't stop, feels so fucking good, your mouth, uh."

Liam kept stroking, and opened his mouth wider, taking more in with his kiss-swollen lips, and sucking harder, feeling the weight of Zayn's cock on his tongue, just as warm and soft and velvety in his mouth as it was in his hand; he couldn't stop tasting.

"God, gonna come." 

"Come what?" Liam couldn't stop if he wanted to - hearing the soft noises coming from Zayn's parted lips fueled him forward, and he bent back over and sucked harder.

"Liam, fuck, fuck - that's it" Zayn groaned, and then his hips flexed again, pushing his cock further into Liam's mouth, and it seemed to swell even more, throbbing in time to Liam's fast beating heart, and then Liam's mouth was suddenly hot and creamy and he pulled back, shocked, to see Zayn's cock throb and spill shiny white, over and over, coating his cock and the dark hair at the base.

"Zayn, are you alright, what is that -"

"Do you hear that?" Zayn interrupted.

"Liam, are you home?" Someone was knocking on the front door and calling out for Liam. 

Liam looked at Zayn, sprawled out on his bed, forehead sweaty and chest bare and his freshly sucked cock lying out for all the world to see.

The knocking got louder. "Liam, you there?"

Liam tried not to panic.


	6. Part 6

The knocking got louder. 

“Liam, it’s me, you there?”

Liam recognized Alfred’s voice at his front door.

He swallowed, and realized he was tasting Zayn on his tongue. “Uh, that’s Alfred, Zayn are you alright? What happened? I can taste you in my mouth?”

Zayn moaned softly, hand rubbing his abdomen. He abruptly sat up and grabbed his borrowed underwear, using it to wipe off his shining cock, and then gently pushed Liam to the edge of the bed and began pulling on the pants he’d been wearing. 

“I told you - it’s a climax - you feel better and better, until it’s like, something in you snaps, and it’s called coming. It’s not going to hurt you.” Zayn chuckled, standing up and pulling on the oversized sweater. “Sorry mate, should have pulled you off sooner. It’s been a while and your mouth felt so good - god. C’mon now, better get dressed and answer the door, yeah?”

“Uh, yeah.” Liam stood up and pulled on his pants, still in his shirt and underwear, and ran his tongue over his lips. They felt swollen and sensitive. He tried to focus on the knocking, but all he could think about was the salty taste on his tongue and the sleepy, satisfied look Zayn had worn afterwards. 

He hurried to the door, and opened it. On the other side stood Alfred, along with several other settlement members. Actually, more than several. 

“Uh, hello there - what do you need?”

“Oh, hello.” Alfred smiled, and gestured behind him. “I didn’t mean to tell everyone, but I mentioned we had a member from another settlement, and you know how fast word travels.” 

Liam huffed. “Yes, I see - word travels fast when everyone spreads it.”

Alfred looked embarrassed for a moment. “Uh, well yes, anyway. I was just telling Robert that we had a visitor, and he mentioned it to David, and everyone wanted to see for themselves, you see -”

So no one had believed him, Liam thought to himself. Although, he could hardly blame the settlement members when the last time a visitor other than the deliverers had arrived had been - well, never.

“Hullo there,” Zayn’s distinctive accent came from right next to him, Liam hadn’t even heard him sneak up behind him. 

Zayn gave an awkward, half wave to everyone, and smiled. And for the first time, Liam really noticed someone’s physical appearance. He noticed what everyone looked like, but he’d never really THOUGHT about it. Alfred had sandy blonde hair, just like Harry’s hair was curlier the longer he let it grow out, and Niall and Louis both had blue eyes, but Niall’s were a warm sea blue while Louis’ were icey blue. Even though he was wearing Liam’s non-descript clothes - all the settlement clothes were non-descript really - Liam realized how much Zayn stood out, and it wasn’t just because he was someone new and fresh. His hair was thicker and shiner, his eyes brighter, his skin smoother - Liam couldn’t put a finger on it, but something about Zayn’s appearance was so - striking? Pleasing? He wasn’t sure; he only knew that seeing him next to all his fellow settlement members made him stand out even more. Liam wondered if everyone where Zayn came from was as… pleasing to look at. 

A chorus of ‘hellos’ chimed back at Zayn, and then the questions began. 

“Where are you from?”

“What’s your settlement like?”

“Why didn’t the council notify us of your arrival?” 

The last question was said in a suspicious tone.

“Listen, everyone hush, yeah?” Liam was annoyed.

Once again, Zayn waved him off. “It’s fine, Leeyum.”

As suddenly as he noticed Zayn’s physical appearance, he noticed the way Zayn said his name, different from everyone in his settlement - he stretched out the vowels, and his voice seemed like a caress. Liam shook himself.

Zayn wasn’t as relaxed as he had been around his housemates, Liam noticed, the lines around his mouth deepened, and his left hand gripped the doorframe tightly, but he looked out over the crowd gathered on the doorstep.

“I come from a settlement up north. Our settlement is almost exactly like yours - except we’ve been having some problems with the fish - fishing. Er. So I was sent to your settlement - Liam and his housemates are helping to teach me better fishing methods, and then I’ll return and show everyone what I’ve learned during my time here.” 

“Then why aren’t you out on the boat?” That was Anna, too suspicious for her own good, Liam thought.

Zayn shrugged, and blinked slowly Liam wasn’t sure why someone blinking was so captivating, but he found he couldn't look away. 

“Liam’s teaching me his salting method today - I’ll be on the boat tomorrow.” 

Liam spoke up. “And we need to get back to work, lots of fish to salt, yeah?”

“How many ways can one salt fish?” 

Liam pretended he didn’t hear the question from the back of the group. 

Alfred stepped forward. “Well, when the council returns from petitioning the deliverers, we should ask them if one of us, or maybe even a couple of us, could visit your settlement, Zayn? Like, a sharing of ideas, yeah?”

Liam looked at Zayn - he seemed to be gripping the doorframe even tighter, and he frowned for a moment, before taking a breath. “Uh, yeah, that’s an idea. When does your council return?”

“In six days,” Alfred said. He paused. “Our council knows you’re here, right? They knew you were coming?”

“Uh, yeah, course they did,” Zayn mumbled, looking down.

“It just seems strange they didn’t announce it,” Alfred tilted his head. “I mean, I know you said they didn’t want to make a big deal out of it, but they didn’t even tell me and they left me in charge of the supply building so you would think at least I would be told…”

Zayn opened his mouth, but nothing came out - Liam could sense his discomfort, but he still didn’t know WHY Zayn was so determined to cover up his inability to remember who he was. He understood Zayn didn’t want to alarm anybody, but why would anybody be alarmed? Liam decided to help him out anyway.

“Well, good to see everyone, but we have a lot of salting to do, the work is never done and all that!” Liam attempted to shut his front door in everyone's faces as politely as possible. 

“Nice to meet everyone.” Zayn gave another awkward half wave, and then the door was shut and there was blissful quiet.

They turned to look at each other for a moment. The memory of what they had done in the bed before they were interrupted came rushing back to Liam. He wasn’t sure how to act - he had only met Zayn, they weren’t even actual friends yet, and he’d already had his cock in his mouth - did that make them instant friends? A special friendship. Liam tried to imagine one of his housemates cocks in his mouth. He shuddered - for some reason the thought made him shiver, but not in a good way. Not like how Zayn did. 

“Fish?” Zayn said quietly.

“Uh, goodness, yes. Before I forget. C’mon, ready to get salty?” 

Zayn rolled his eyes and bumped his shoulder against Liam, and he smiled and led Zayn down the hall.

Hours later, the fish were salted (and Liam had been pleased that Zayn had paid close attention to the way he laid down a thick layer of salt on the preparation table, then carefully placed the filleted pieces down, sprinkled another layer, put another filet on top, and repeated the process until they were ready to be placed into one of the special barrels) and dinner was ready and the boys were tumbling in from a long day out on the bay.

Liam liked cooking and never minded when it was his turn to prepare dinner for everyone, but cooking dinner while Zayn kept him company made the time fly by.

“If you are from a settlement, I wonder if everyone else is like you?” Liam carefully pulled the chicken out of the wood burning stove, then pushed it back in when he saw it needed a couple more minutes. They rarely had chicken, so he was excited to prepare dinner for not only the boys but their special guest. 

“What do you mean, like me?” Zayn raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms from where he watched Liam prepare dinner from the other side of the small kitchen.

“Like.” Liam waved his hand towards Zayn, as if that was an adequate way to sum him up. “I dunno. When everyone was at the door, looking at them, but seeing you. You stand out.”

“Of course I stand out - no one has seen me before. I’m new to the settlement?” Both of Zayn’s eyebrows were raised as if he was stating the obvious.

Liam struggled to articulate his thoughts. “Yeah, but. It’s more than that, you know? Everyone in the settlement is fine, but they’re so - plain? Like, looking at you seems easier, somehow. Compared to them, you’re, like, bright?”

“Hmm. Bright.” Zayn looked like he was deep in thought.

Liam wanted to explain further, but the chicken was ready, and then the boys returned, and there was no more thoughtful conversation to be had. 

At dinner, Niall spoke up.

“We figured out what your silver tank is for!”

Zayn had been quiet, eating steadily, and had only stopped to say, “Chicken’s really good, Liam,” causing Liam to feel inordinately pleased with himself.

“Hmm?” Zayn was chewing

“When we pulled ya outta the water you had a silver tank on your back - it was still on the boat.” Niall excitedly waved a fork in the air. “We looked at it, and there was a small hose that connected to the back - we think it connects to that funny piece ya wore on your head. There has to be air in the tank, to help you breathe underwater and the like, so ya don’t drown.” 

Liam had forgotten they had only rescued Zayn the previous day - why, he wondered, did he feel like he had lived another life in the past 24 hours? Almost like he had shed his old skin, like the green garden snakes that slithered behind their house, revealing something new and shiny underneath, something he was still getting used to. He thought of Zayn’s shouder, which had a drawing of a snake on it slithering across and over it. Thinking of Zayn’s shoulder made him think of the two of them in his bed, and he tried to continue calmly eating, not wanting his face to betray his thoughts. 

He watched Zayn tilt his head, considering. “That makes sense, I guess. What else would the tank be for?”

“But if you were on a fishing boat, or on a boat, before you ended up in our nets,why do you need to be able to breathe underwater?” Harry wondered.

“Maybe,” Louis said, warming up to the topic, “that’s how you fish? You put nets under the water? Maybe in your settlement you don’t even use boats?”

“Or what if you weren’t fishing at all?” Niall said, fork still waving around dangerously. “Maybe you were diving for mussels and things? But maybe your water is a lot deeper, or you have to go further out?”

They were all quiet for a moment, thinking. 

“I wish I could remember, sorry mates.” Zayn gave a sad smile and kept eating. 

“You will, Zayn, don’t worry,” Niall nodded confidently.

Liam tried not to be selfish, but he couldn't help but think that when Zayn’s memory did come back, he would return to his own settlement. And what were the rules to visiting other settlements? How far away did Zayn live? Would he be able to see the other man? 

“You alright?” 

Liam felt someone tap his leg with their foot- he looked from his plate where he had been contemplating Zayn leaving, to see Zayn watching him. He realized he had been the one nudging his foot against his leg. 

He gave a one shouldered shrug with a half smile. “S’alright, just thinking.”

“Don’t think too hard.” Zayn winked; it wasn’t a good wink, but it did its job, snapping Liam out of his mood.

“Wise words to live by,” Liam smiled, trying to focus on enjoying Zayn’s company while he still could. 

The future could wait.


	7. Part 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I almost titled this fic "the heat between your legs" lol.  
> Thank you so much for the kudos and comments! Hope you continue to enjoy.

After clean-up, they moved to the sitting room, where they taught Zayn one of their card games, and he surprised them all by winning the first several rounds. 

“Beginners luck mate,” Niall said sagely.

“Or he’s cheating, I dunno, caught on pretty quick,” Louis grumbled. 

Liam hated losing - he secretly took cards, or games of any sort, seriously, but somehow he didn’t mind Zayn winning. He and Zayn sat cross-legged on the floor, knees occasionally bumping, in the spot where the small couch had been before it had been moved to his bedroom. The other three sat together on the larger couch, and everyone reached forward to grab and slam their cards down on the small table. The fireplace had been lit, and the fire crackled and sizzled, a comforting background noise to the raucous yells accompanying the game, but the flames had slowly shrunk until all that remained was a glowing log and the cards were hard to see. It was interesting, Liam thought, how easily Zayn had fit himself into their little housemate group - it had been the four of them for so long, but somehow a fifth person didn’t seem disruptive, rather, it was like a missing piece falling into place. 

“Alright lads, ‘s getting late,” Harry collected the cards, “time for bed.”

“Do we hafta?” Niall whined.

“Early to bed, early to rise,” Liam said solemn. “Makes a man -”

“Liam!” everyone protested, but they were laughing.

“He’s really the only morning person amongst us,” Harry explained, turning to Zayn, who watched the banter with a bemused look on his face.

Louis looked closely at Liam. “Cept this morning - Liam is always the first up, usually back from his run before we even start on breakfast.”

Liam stood up from the floor, avoiding eye-contact with everyone. “Was exhausted from yesterday - rowing that boat in a storm is no joke.”

“I’ll allow it,” Louis said, with a magnanimous air. 

Liam rolled his eyes. “Whatever. I call second in the bathroom after Zayn.”

Another chorus of protests rose up, and Liam grinned, reaching out his hand to Zayn - he grasped it, and Liam pulled him up from the floor. “Guest’s first, c’mon, let’s have some manners, yeah?” 

“Then why do you get second?” Niall said.

“I’m hosting the guest, of course,” Liam smiled, then rushed down the hall, before he realized he was still holding Zayn’s hand, and abruptly let go.

Zayn smiled and leaned forward and whispered in his ear - 

“Take a shower - when you wash, try putting a finger or two in your ass, yeah? But use soap and go slow, don’t force it. Gotta relax to do it - move your finger in and out to stretch.”

And with those shocking words, he walked into the bathroom and left Liam in the hallway. 

After Zayn finished in the bathroom, Liam took his turn. In the shower he soaped up and thought about Zayn’s words, shaking his head. Why would he, or anyone for that matter, put a finger there? He had washed his bum - ass - countless times, of course, but had never put a finger INSIDE. But, he thought, he had never licked someone's tongue with his own tongue, and that had been surprisingly enjoyable. 

He soaped up his right hand and leaned forward, resting his left hand against the wall, spreading his legs and feeling the warm water rain down his back, and tried to stay relaxed. He cautiously reached back, and slowly, carefully, circled his entrance with his finger, testing out the sensations. How could a finger comfortably fit inside? He ran his finger up and down, feeling himself clench. He took a deep breath, and on the exhale, pushed the tip of his finger inside. He was warm and soft inside - it didn’t feel bad but it felt strange. He pulled his finger back, then slowly pushed back in, this time trying to go further, up to his first knuckle. He was tight, so tight and warm. He could barely fit one finger in, should he really attempt two?

He was getting ahead of himself. 

He took another deep breath, remembering Zayn’s advice, pulling his finger out and pressing back in, trying to go past his first knuckle - he was met with resistance, his muscles tight, and tried to wiggle his finger inside. Another minute of pushing in and out and wiggling - as well as soaping up his hand again, and he had a full finger inside. He rubbed gently inside - it felt nice enough, but he still wasn’t sure what all this was leading towards. He decided to try a second finger. 

Adding more soap, he slowly pushed in the tips of two fingers - the sensation from one finger to two was an adjustment - he felt a small, dull ache, and tried to relax and withdrew, before slowly trying to push back in. He had managed to get two fingers halfway in, trying to ignore the slight burn, when there was a pounding on the door, and he heard Louis yell. 

“Oi, save water for the rest of us, c’mon Liam.” 

He slowly withdrew his fingers, and found his heart was beating rapidly. He washed his hand, thoroughly, rinsed off, and shut the tap.

As he brushed his teeth, he thought about Zayn’s mouth. He looked at himself in the mirror, and slowly ran a finger over his bottom lip. He spent an extra minute brushing and rinsing. 

When he returned to his bedroom, he saw Zayn already in bed, his bare shoulders peeking above the blanket. If Liam squinted, he could almost imagine the snake on his shoulder was alive and slithering. He shivered, then closed the door, plunging the room into darkness. 

“Leeyum, can you do me a favor?” Zayn’s voice was as velvety as the darkness surrounding him. 

“Uh, sure, what’s up?” 

“Can you go into the kitchen and grab that bottle of olive oil?”

Liam paused. “Olive oil?” 

“When you were cooking the chicken earlier - that green bottle was olive oil, yeah?”

“Yes?” Liam was confused. “We only get it when the deliverers come once a year - so we try to use only a little at a time. The supply is so small we have to ration it out.”

“Hmm,” Zayn said. “Well I think this counts as a special occasion, so if you’re alright with using a bit - a small bit’s all we need.”

“Need for what?” Liam wondered. 

“Liam. Please?” Zayn’s voice had an edge of impatience. “And can you grab one of the candles from the mantle?”

Liam shrugged, not that Zayn could see in the dark, and opened the door, walking back to the sitting room, where he grabbed a candle from the mantle above the fireplace, and pocketed the lighter they kept there. He went into the kitchen and looked at the shelf where the olive oil was kept, in an inauspicious green glass bottle - the bottle was squat with a wooden stopper. 

He took the bottle off the shelf and headed back to the bedroom when Niall walked out of the bathroom; he quickly hid the bottle behind his back. 

“I was, er, getting some water.” His fingers gripped the bottle, hoping Niall wouldn’t notice. He forgot he was holding the candle in his other hand.

“And a candle?” Niall looked at him strangely. “Scared of the dark now?”

Liam nervously giggled. “Wanted something less bright than the lamp, you know. Was going to sketch for a bit. The light would bother Zayn.” 

Paper and pencil were a scarce commodity in the settlement, the other boys used it to write or journal, but Liam always used his ration to draw - he would sketch the animals, and the bay, and the sunrise, and sometimes his housemates. 

Niall didn’t look convinced, but he nodded. “Make sure you blow it out. And don’t stay up too late.”

“Will do.” 

He hastily squeezed by Niall, keeping the bottle behind his back before moving it to his front, shielding it from view as he passed by, and went into his bedroom as quickly as he could, without trying to look like he was hiding something, and closed the door. 

He stood there a moment, blinking as his eyes adjusted to the sudden darkness. He felt his way over to the dresser, and put the bottle and candle down, flicking the lighter, lighting the long wick until it caught. 

Before he could change his mind, he picked up the chair from the corner of his room and carried it back over to the door, shoving it underneath the door knob. He let out a breath, then grabbed the olive oil from the dresser and carefully stepped over to the bed. 

“Got it?” Zayn asked, smiling up from the bed, the shadows flickering across his face in the candle light. 

Liam wordlessly lifted up the bottle. 

“Good boy,” Zayn purred, and Liam tried not to react to his words or the tone in his voice, but the clenching in his stomach was involuntary. 

Zayn held out his hand. “Give it here. Let me know if you, like, don’t want to do something. Always make sure your bed sharing partner is comfortable, and you ask me questions, alright? We can stop at any time, yeah?”

Liam didn’t know why Zayn had to make this point over and over, but he took a deep breath. “I want to do everything. With you. Er, everything you want to do with me. I mean, if you want to do something with me, that is -”

“Liam.” Zayn sounded exasperated but he was smiling. “Take your clothes off.” He paused. “All your clothes.” 

He nodded, and quickly removed all his clothes until he was left standing in the candle-light in nothing but his underwear. Zayn watched him, eyes bottomless dark pools, and Liam pushed down his underwear. Before Zayn's arrival he'd never thought about nudity one way or the other, but he’d never had anybody look at his body the way Zayn looked at him, and once again he didn’t know how to feel about any of it

Zayn lifted the covers and Liam crawled under; they faced each other, bodies close. Liam looked at Zayn’s mouth, shiny in the dim light - had he been licking his lips?

“So I think your virus medication keeps you from getting hard, but I’m gonna try to make you feel good in other ways.”

Liam was on board with that plan, but first - “Can we kiss? I really liked that last time.”

Zayn smiled. “Course we can. C’mere.” He grasped the back of Liam’s neck, like he had the last time, fingers rubbing small circles, and drew Liam in, until they were breathing on each other’s lips. 

“Been thinking about your lips all evening,” Zayn whispered, breath warm, and then he pulled Liam close, and they fell into the kiss together.

Kissing was just as nice as it had been that afternoon - warm and soft and wet. Being that close to someone physically was a new sensation, but Liam enjoyed every moment - he ran his hands up and down Zayn’s arms, feeling the wiry muscle, then over his shoulders and down his bare back, marveling again about how smooth and warm his skin was. Underneath the blanket, he felt like they were in their very own cocoon, just the two of them. Zayn worked his tongue into his mouth, and Liam felt bold and confident, and skimmed his hands lower, running down Zayn’s back before grabbing handfuls of his ass and squeezing.

“Mmm,” Zayn moaned into his mouth, tongue finding his tongue, and Liam squeezed again, then pulled Zayn forward with a grunt, letting out a small noise when he felt them touch, chest to chest, and then, with a jolt, he felt Zayn’s hard cock brush against his thigh. 

Zayn let go of his neck and trailed his hand down Liam’s spine, until his hand rested on his lower back, rubbing softly, then lower still, gently running his finger down the middle of his ass until he reached his entrance, where he paused his movements. 

Zayn pulled back, eyes and skin glowing in the candle-light, lips swollen and smeary. “Did you try with fingers - in the shower, like I asked?”

Liam smiled, feeling shy. “Yeah - managed to get one in, but then I only got halfway with two when I had to stop - Louis was knocking, I was in there too long.”

Zayn nodded. “ S’alright. So, this afternoon, you helped me come yeah? Or climax. So there’s another way to come, without touching your cock, so I want to see if we can make that happen. Do you want to try? Will you let me make you feel good?” 

Liam wanted to make a joke, but Zayn’s eyes were dark and pleading, so he simply said, “Yes please.”

“It’s actually called an orgasm, when you like, climax, but you can also just call it coming,” Zayn explained, voice low, grabbing the olive oil bottle from where it had been resting against the wall. “And then there’s all sorts of names for when you come - what you tasted - semen, come, and, like, less nice names.” He giggled. “But since I don’t think you can come that way, we’re going to try another way.” 

He popped the cork and tilted the bottle, pouring a little of the thick liquid on his fingers. “Might be a bitch to clean up, but it’ll be worth it.” He looked at Liam, as they both lay on their sides facing each other. “Can you raise your leg up, babe?”

Liam mouthed the word ‘babe’ in confusion, but without thinking followed Zayn’s instructions, raising his left leg up, tenting the blanket they lay under.

Zayn looked at him, assessing. “Actually, why don’t you lay on your back, yeah?”

He turned, laying full on his back, and looked up at Zayn expectantly, who held the olive oil bottle in one hand while he held up his other hand, fingers glistening in dim light. 

“God, your body is…” Zayn shook his head, and Liam heard him mutter the phrase “fucking six pack ridiculous.’ 

“I’m gonna stretch you out - search for a spot inside you that will make you feel really, really good.”

He should have felt nervous and awkward - a near stranger was about to put his oil-covered fingers in his ass - but something about Zayn and the look in his eyes made him trust the strange man pulled from the sea. Liam had never had an adventure before - his days since he came to the settlement blended together, following the same routines and patterns year after year - and his days before the settlement were blurry at best - he remembered the journey with Louis to the settlement, but somehow his life before that was a blur. But ever since Zayn showed up, Liam’s world view had shifted - 

“S’ like an adventure,” he blurted out, and felt embarrassed for the first time.

Zayn raised a questioning eyebrow, while his hand reached down between Liam’s legs, gently lifting his soft cock out of the way, resting it on his lower stomach, and then fondling his sack; he reached lower, stroking, and pressed on the small area of skin below his tight hole.

“What’s an adventure?”

Liam’s voice was breathy when he spoke. “This, here with you. Bed-sharing adventure. Never met anyone like you.”

“No, suppose you haven’t. Gonna touch your rim now, alright?”

Liam nodded and Zayn smiled, bending over to press a small kiss against his lips. He paused, dripping more oil on his fingers and reached over Liam, setting the bottle down on the floor, then he straightened back up. He slowly rubbed - fluttering, delicate touches - around his entrance, testing the give. 

“Tight. Gonna be so tight,” Zayn muttered and leaned forward, this time kissing Liam hard, with an edge. 

He could feel Zayn’s body, warm and silky and bare, pressed up against his side; Zayn kissed him harder, and Liam opened his mouth. Zayn didn’t work up to it, like he had before with soft, gentle licks; this time he pressed his tongue in with a groan, and Liam opened his mouth wide, and felt Zayn push the tip of his finger in his hole at the same time he pushed his tongue in to his mouth again. 

He was glad he had explored in the shower, so while the sensation threw him off, it wasn’t shocking, merely uncomfortable; the texture of the oil was different than the soap, creating a smooth glide, and Zayn’s slender finger was able to push almost all the way in. 

Liam made a noise in his throat and Zayn pulled back, breath loud in the quiet room.

“How’s it feel? You gotta talk, babe - let me know how you’re doing.”

“ ‘s not bad, just feels different, you know? Not used to things going in there.”

“Do you know what a prostate is?” Zayn kept moving his finger, pulling it out, then pushing it slowly back in, stroking along his inner heat, almost petting him. 

“No.”

“Some people have a sensitive one, some less so - but I think -” Zayn stopped talking and started kissing Liam again, tongue stroking his own, and he felt pressure, realizing Zayn was trying to work his second finger in there. The idea of Zayn stretching out the the most private part of his body made Liam feel hot all over, and he focused on the tongue in his mouth and the two fingers sliding further in, until they were both pushed in and he felt full.

“How do you feel?” Zayn whispered against his lips.

“Full. And hot.”

Zayn slowly pulled his fingers out and reached up and flipped the blanket back, exposing Liam to the cool air of the room, which felt wonderful against his overheated skin. He reached over him, grabbing the bottle from the floor and pouring more oil on his fingers, and then he put the bottle back down and carefully pushed the two fingers back in, deeper this time.

Liam took a big breath, tensing up, and the fingers felt uncomfortable - there was too much pressure. 

“Relax, babe, you gotta relax, yeah? God you’re tight.” Zayn reached down, and instead of kissing his mouth, started kissing and sucking along his collar bone, while gently rocking his fingers back and forth, stretching him out from the inside.

Liam exhaled, trying to relax his muscles, and watched Zayn’s dark hair fall into his eyes as he moved his way across Liam’s chest; he enjoyed the drag and suction of Zayn’s mouth; he moved below Liam’s collarbone, and licked across a nipple, taking it between his lips and sucking, while at the same time he pressed upwards and deeper inside the hot clutch of Liam’s body. 

Suddenly, Liam’s back arched off the bed and his mouth dropped open. “Oh, oh,” he exclaimed, feeling his hips thrust forward involuntarily. It was like a spark had set off inside him.

Zayn looked up, eyes hooded and hair falling across his forehead, a smile on his face. “I was hoping you’d be sensitive.” He leaned forward, putting his mouth close to Liam’s ear, and continued to move his fingers - the smooth glide was becoming more of a fast pumping, and the next time he hit the spot that sparked inside Liam, he started whispering.

“Leeyum, you look so good like this, so good. You’re gorgeous, you don’t even know. Gorgeous and tight and warm. Fuck. How’s it feel?”

He hit the spot, and then pulled his fingers halfway out, before plunging them back in and hitting the spot again.

Liam moaned. “Good, feels so good, never felt anything like it.”

Zayn’s breath was hot and wet in his ear. “Gonna add a third finger.”

Zayn slowly started pushing in another finger, and Liam tried not to gasp from the pressure, but it was a lot - he was so slick down there, from the olive oil, and his entrance was swollen and sensitive to the touch - he couldn't help the breathy little gasps falling from his lips.

“Uh, uh, uh, Zayn. So full.” 

“Liam, fuck, babe. You’re doing so good, taking my fingers so good.” 

After a minute Zayn had three fingers all the way in, and this time he didn’t move back, but rubbed small circles with his fingertips across his most sensitive spot, causing Liam to close his eyes and moan. 

“Shhh, Liam, got to be quiet yeah?” 

But Zayn wouldn’t stop rubbing, and it felt so MUCH; Liam swallowed, throat dry, then licked his lips, moaning loader - he couldn't help it. Zayn clamped a hand over his mouth.

He opened his eyes, and tried to open his mouth to protest, but Zayn kept rubbing inside, and he felt hot and swollen and full and overwhelmed with sensation. Even without the blankets he was warm, and he looked at Zayn, golden and ethereal in the candlelight. 

Zayn was back to whispering hotly in his ear. “Fuck, Liam, you got me so hard babe, can you feel it?” He rubbed against Liam’s thigh, cock hard and warm against his leg. 

“I’m all worked up, feeling how tight you are babe. Want to put my cock in you - think you’d like that - doing so good on my fingers, imagine how good my cock would feel in you, yeah?” 

Liam had a brief image in his mind of Zayn on top of him, wet tongue in his mouth and hard cock filling up his ass, and his hips lifted off the bed, and his entire body convulsed, and Zayn’s fingers kept pressing against his most sensitive, hot place, and he was thankful for Zayn’s hand on his mouth, because he would have woken the entire house with how good he felt in that moment. 

He collapsed back against the bed, panting, and felt as Zayn slowly removed his fingers. He felt open and gaping, and watched as Zayn sat up on his heels and gripped himself with a low moan. 

He stripped his cock, hand slick from the oil, grip rough and fast, and Liam watched, fascinated, as Zayn tilted his head back, closing his eyes as he let out a long groan, and started coming all over Liam’s stomach in hot bursts, before he finally stopped, and laid back down next to Liam, tracing his fingers through the mess he'd made on his stomach. 

Liam didn’t mind the mess, he was still catching his breath. “That was. That was -” He didn't have words to describe what he'd just experienced.

“An adventure, yeah?” Zayn smirked, eyes flashing, and Liam could only close his eyes, sated, but he agreed.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and kudos are life!! Thank you. :)


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